No, Billy Galvin is not the attorney general; he just plays one on Beacon Hill -- that is to say the Massachusetts Statehouse.

And although all the reviews are not in, initial reports indicate that the understudy is planning to do a better job than the leading lady, who would be Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Galvin in real life is the secretary of state who is, of course, running for re-election. He is unopposed in the Democrat primary and facing only token opposition in November.

He is also keeper of the flame when it comes to overseeing the registration and activities of the hundreds of lobbyists at the Statehouse.

He only became "acting" attorney general when news broke about Coakley's handling of the case involving prominent lobbyist John Brennan, head of the Brennan Group, a well-connected lobbying firm. Brennan, a former state representative and state senator, is also a Coakley campaign contributor.

Coakley alleged that Brennan's firm collected $370,000 in improper contingency lobbying fees from the Franciscan Hospital for Children. In a civil settlement signed two weeks ago, the Brennan Group agreed to pay the hospital back $100,000, but admitted no wrongdoing.

Lobbyist contingency fees are illegal in Massachusetts and violators could be prosecuted criminally. Coakley maintains that a criminal prosecution would have been too risky.

Advertisement

"Based on the facts in our investigation, we made the right call," she told the Boston Globe.

But Galvin, among others, does not think so.

"I'd love to get that kind of treatment if I ever get in a jam," one prominent Statehouse lobbyist said. "Everybody knows contingency fees are illegal, including the lawyers for the Franciscan Hospital. And Brennan doesn't get prosecuted and he gets to keep $270,000. Not a bad deal."

Coakley critics, including state Treasurer Steve Grossman, who is also running for governor, have accused Coakley of "extremely poor judgment," and called on her to return Brennan's campaign contributions.

Grossman, who has chipped away at Coakley's lead in the polls, is pounding away on Coakley on the issue, giving his candidacy a much needed boost in the last days of the Democrat primary campaign.

Grossman, during a Boston Herald debate said Coakley should have recused herself from the Brennan case. "Here's a well-connected lobbyist who raised money for you who was allowed to walk away laughing all the way to the bank."

Coakley said, "We did a thorough investigation" and got the best results possible, given the statute of limitations and other problems.

While Coakley's television advertising campaign paints her as an outsider who "is fighting against the old boys' club" on Beacon Hill, her settlement with Brennan, a charter member of the "old boys' club" and the ultimate Statehouse insider -- could hurt her.

And Maura Healey, a former top deputy to Coakley who is running for attorney general, was also critical of the deal, saying that it did not go far enough.

But the clock is ticking in Coakley's favor. The primary election is a week from today, and Grossman is running out of time..

However, Galvin last week added fuel to the heated controversy when he announced that his office has launched its own investigation into the activities of the Brennan Group as a result of the Coakley-Brennan settlement.

His action represents a major embarrassment for Coakley, who is now being second-guessed on the matter by a fellow Democrat and lawyer who has the responsibility of regulating lobbyist activity.

"The agreement raises more questions than it answers," Galvin told the Globe. He said he found the agreement ambivalent. "Contingency fees are illegal."

While the Brennan Group, which denied any violation of the law, was released from further civil or criminal liability as a result of the settlement, it could face penalties from Galvin.

Normally, an issue such as this would be referred from the secretary of state, who has no prosecutorial authority, to the attorney general, who has. In this case it is the other way around. Galvin's action only buttresses the belief that Coakley cut the Brennan Group some slack because Brennan is a well-connected campaign contributor and fundraiser.

And although Galvin cannot prosecute lobbyists who violate the law, he can fine them, suspend them or revoke their license to lobby.

Coakley, who has been hammered on the issue, said she welcomed Galvin's additional investigation into the matter, and that her office would help.

So the secretary of state is investigating the attorney general's investigation and the attorney general is happy about it.

"That would be appropriate," Coakley said. Yeah, appropriate, like a hole in the head.

Peter Lucas' political column appears Tuesday and Friday. Email him at luke1825@aol.com.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.